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By Wilfrid Wilson Gibson
Wilfrid Wilson Gibson (1878-1962)
They ask me where I've been,
And what I've done and seen.
But what can I reply
Who know it wasn't I,
But someone just like me,
Who went across the sea
And with my head and hands
Killed men in foreign lands…
Though I must bear the blame
Because he bore my name.
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I Worried
By Mary Oliver
Mary Jane Oliver (1935-2019)
I worried a lot. Will the garden grow, will the rivers
flow in the right direction, will the earth turn
as it was taught, and if not how shall
I correct it?
Was I right, was I wrong, will I be forgiven,
can I do better?
Will I ever be able to sing, even the sparrows
can do it and I am, well,
hopeless.
Is my eyesight fading or am I just imagining it,
am I going to get rheumatism,
lockjaw, dementia?
Finally, I saw that worrying had come to nothing.
And gave it up. And took my old body
and went out into the morning,
and sang.
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Advice to a Son
By Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway (1899-1961)
Never trust a white man,
Never kill a Jew,
Never sign a contract,
Never rent a pew.
Don't enlist in armies;
Nor marry many wives;
Never write for magazines;
Never scratch your hives.
Always put paper on the seat,
Don't believe in wars,
Keep yourself both clean and neat,
Never marry whores.
Never pay a blackmailer,
Never go to law,
Never trust a publisher,
Or you'll sleep on straw.
All your friends will leave you
All your friends will die
So lead a clean and wholesome life
And join them in the sky.
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The Answer
By Sara Teasdale
Sara Trevor Teasdale (1884-1933)
When I go back to earth
And all my joyous body
Puts off the red and white
That once had been so proud,
If men should pass above
With false and feeble pity,
My dust will find a voice
To answer them aloud:
"Be still, I am content,
Take back your poor compassion—
Joy was a flame in me
Too steady to destroy.
Lithe as a bending reed
Loving the storm that sways her—
I found more joy in sorrow
Than you could find in joy."
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The Workman's Friend
By Brian O'Nolan
Brian O'Nolan (1911-1966)
When things go wrong and will not come right,
Though you do the best you can,
When life looks black as the hour of night —
A pint of plain is your only man.
When money's tight and hard to get,
And your horse has also ran,
When all you have is a heap of debt —
A pint of plain is your only man.
When health is bad and your heart feels strange,
And your face is pale and wan,
When doctors say you need a change —
A pint of plain is your only man.
When food is scarce and your larder bare,
And no rashers grease your pan,
When hunger grows as your meals are rare —
A pint of plain is your only man.
In time of trouble and lousey strife,
You have still got a darlint* plan,
You still can turn to a brighter life —
A pint of plain is your only man.
* Variation of darling.
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